The Short Title of this Act is “The Agricultural and Pastoral Statistics Act, 1895.”

An account shall be taken in each year of the land occupied for agricultural and pastoral purposes in the colony, and of the livestock thereon.

Such account—

Shall be taken in such month and on such days as the Governor in Council from time to time directs;

Shall be so taken as to supply full and accurate information on such of the subjects referred to in the Schedule hereto as the Minister for Agriculture (hereinafter called “the Minister”) from time to time directs;

Shall be taken according to such forms and instructions and in such manner as the Minister from time to time prescribes; and

Shall be published not later than the tenth day of February in each year.

For the purposes of such account the Minister may from time to time divide the colony into districts, appoint Enumerators and Sub-enumerators for each district, and define their duties and functions and fix their remuneration.

Every owner or occupier of land and every owner or person in charge of live-stock shall, within the time limited in that behalf by the Minister, fill up and supply in the said forms, to the best of his knowledge and belief, the matters and particulars required by such forms and the instructions accompanying the same, and sign such forms, and deliver the same, so filled up and signed, to the person authorised to receive the same.

If any such owner, occupier, or person fails or neglects to faithfully comply with any of the provisions of the last-preceding section, be is liable to a penalty not exceeding twenty pounds.

From the account to be taken under this Act the Minister shall, with as little delay as possible, compile and publish in the Gazette a return setting forth the agricultural and pastoral statistics of the colony for the year.

The expenses incurred in the administration of this Act shall be paid out of moneys to be appropriated by Parliament for that purpose.

Except when and so often as the Governor in Council otherwise directs, it is hereby declared that the account to be taken under this Act shall supersede the account referred to in section nineteen of “The Census Act, 1877,” and that the Registrar-General, in lieu of taking that account, shall adopt and use for all the purposes of that Act the account to be taken under this Act.